Food allergies, now learning new diet

[Wayne Smith]

LOML came home from the MD - allergic to: Wheat, Milk, Eggs, Tomatoes and sensitive to a list longer than my arm (I'm a 44L). Sever enough for the MD to prescribe an Epipen.

We are now discovering Quinoa, Garbanzo bean flour, Buckwheat, rice flour almond flour, rice milk, almond milk, etc. They all seem to have one thing in common - expensive! Essentially saying goodbye to good baked breads.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

The good news is that we can eat at most steakhouses and Japanese restaurants. We both like susi and sashimi.

[youngun]

Well, good luck with the transition. My wife is mildly allergic to wheat and dairy, and sensitive to gluten (all the other grains except for quinoa, teff, couple other rare ones.S) But I knew that when we met, and have always been the sort to just eat what's in front of me. She does a pretty good job with cakes and other baked goods, though you'll have to get used to a denser, heavier bread. There are some pretty good rice-based pastas (Tinkiyada is one brand) that makes it alot easier. Vanilla rice milk is pretty tasty if you like that sort of thing and works great on cereal. I haven't been a big milk drinker since early high-school. so not as big a deal to me as some. Milk tastes snotty to me now, like there's fat floating in it. (But please do not serve me coffee without half-n-half unless we're out on the trail!)
Look at it this way: it'll give you a chance to eat all of those veggies you shoulda been eating! Then again, man can live off red meat in my book.

[DLCTEX]

I am allergic to corn. Try finding foods that don't contain corn in some form. I have to read lables (every time, just because it doesn't contain corn starch, flour,syrup,meal, today doesn't mean it won't be in the next batch), and question cooks and waiters, and still get in trouble. In Florida a few years ago I wanted to eat seafood but feared that cornmeal was used. When I asked the waitress, she said no. My son said "you'd better be sure because you'll take him out on a stretcher if it does". She checked with the cook and he said it does, but he would make me some without it. Cacker crumbs are a great substitute, a solution I have used many times since. My siblings (9) also have varying alergys to varying degrees. We learn to cope. When you do without air a time or two, you learn to be vigilent. At a recent family reunion I would not eat banana pudding, as corn starch is a common thickener. My wife asked the niece who brought it if she used corn starch and she replied no. I had a bad reaction, then she explained that she used a mix> Duh! Dale

[MT Gianni]

When we had a Thai exchange student we learned to like rice noodles. Look for them in the Oriental food sections of most grocery stores. Gianni

[longhorn]

Food allergies are much more common than is widely realized. Wheat, corn, and eggs are the most common allergens, I believe. I'm seeing more and more food sensitivities in the older population--after all, allergies are (generally, not always) a result of repeated exposure and insult to the immune system. Wayne, do you have a Whole Foods near you? I won't debate the organic foods debate, but their labeling is generally superior--good for looking for "hidden" allergens.

[scrapcan]

Wayne,

My wife is diagnosed celiac also. She has some interesting reactions to gluten. Wheat gluten seams to be the worse. Bob's Red Mill has all kinds of non gluten flour. They also have recipes on their website. They sell some mixes also. some are really good.
I have noticed similar things as mentioned above. I am also one who eats what is put in front of me.

My wife went to a baking class last week and was told that the odd aftertaste you sometimes get from mixes is due to the bean flours that are used.

I would be happy to share what we know. Just send a pm or email (in my profile, I think).

And here is a good one for you. I made a sorgum beer a few weeks ago and it is actually pretty good.

[wiljen]

Tell your wives it could be worse. I'm deathly allergic to chocolate and have to watch labels for anything that contains cocoa.

[Wayne Smith]

Manleyjt it's not celiac, she can eat oats. It's specifically wheat. We've been experimenting with Bob's Red Mill baking mix, very solid. Waffles can be done, but use half as much as any other wheat based baking mix, I think. I will try it that way with EnergE Egg substitute tomorrow AM. Made the mistake of trying it like Bisquick this AM. Gotta try the farmer's market for duck eggs - she can eat those.

[scrapcan]

Keep us up on what you learn to cook. Food allergies suck, but it is still better than the other alternative.

[kodiak1]

We raised a daughter with the old peanut allergy, Caught it when she was really young and once we got wisened up what to look for it was bad but it sure could have been worse.
I feel for anyone with a food allery good luck to all of you and your spouses it is beatable.
Ken.

[scrapcan]

A good friend made some gluten free bread and brought to my wife last night. It was a boxed mix by 365. It is very good and looks like it baked well, unlike some of our less than successful attempts.

[MightyThor]

Tell your wives it could be worse. I'm deathly allergic to chocolate and have to watch labels for anything that contains cocoa.

Yep, and that alone is a full time nightmare. My daughter will go into anphlaxys shock if she ingests any kind of peanut protein. I discovered that my eyes have reached middle age because it has become virtually impossible to read the labels without magnifying reading glasses. (which I don't usually carry) Shopping now takes forever because I have to ask people walking by if they will please read the ingredients to me.

[Typecaster]

These things can change your whole outlook on life...No. 2 son has a systemic kidney disease (no symptoms until his blood pressure put him in intensive care for a week with retinal bleeding and terrible headaches). His accupuncturist (a M.D. from Russia whose credentials didn't translate) says that gluten intolerance/celiac disease can be a factor. After 2 years of no gluten, he looks good, feels good, and is working on a gluten-free cookbook. He has developed a flour substitute with rice flour, xantham gum, etc. that he mixes in bulk and we use interchangeably with wheat flour...even when he's back in Northern California. The real complication is that he can't have potassium either, and is supposed to minimize protein intake...but it beats a transplant or dialysis. He's in the middle of a "gluten challenge" right now to see if his blood tests are different with or without gluten.

[Typecaster]

OK, here's my son's recipe for a gluten-free flour substitute:

www.glutenberg.com

We use it for everything from crepes to biscuits, anything that doesn't "rise" like a yeast bread.

[yarro]

A lot of folks are sensitive to Gluten. I have had to cut it out for the most part. I did not notice until I started eating a multigrain breakfast ceral and my neck started to get stiff. I went hunting with a friend that is really Gluten intolerant and my stiff neck went away when I ate with him for a week. Came back and the symptoms started up again so he suggested that I cut out Gluten and they went away again. I also started to lose weight when I stopped eating the stuff as my energy improved. At least my intestines don't start bleeding like his do when my friend eats the stuff. He pretty much can't eat out at most restraunts unless he is very careful.

-Yarro